Fish Oil Compounds May Help Protect Gut Cells From Toxin Damage via Mitochondrial Protein

This study looked at how fish oil and its key fatty acids, EPA and DHA, affect intestinal damage caused by deoxynivalenol (DON), a common mold toxin found in grain-based animal feed. Researchers fed weaned piglets either corn oil or fish oil, with or without DON exposure, and also tested EPA and DHA directly on pig intestinal cells in the lab.

Piglets given fish oil showed better growth and healthier intestinal tissue after DON exposure, along with higher levels of proteins involved in mitochondrial fission and fusion — the processes cells use to maintain healthy, functioning mitochondria (the cell’s energy centers). In lab-grown intestinal cells, both EPA and DHA reduced cell damage, restored mitochondrial function, and lowered cell death caused by DON exposure.

To understand the mechanism, researchers selectively blocked three specific proteins (Drp1, Mfn1, and Mfn2) using gene-silencing techniques. When Mfn2 was blocked, EPA and DHA lost their ability to protect the cells, while blocking the other two proteins did not prevent the protective effect. This suggests Mfn2 plays a central role in how omega-3 fatty acids help support cellular resilience against this particular toxin.